December 2009 Archives

A friend of mine arrived home this week after a year travelling around South America. He is a Liverpool fan, although I have forgiven him for that and so should you.

Has come home to a lot of surprising things. Snow, a full blown recession which means he's going to struggle to get a job and the fact his beloved Liverpool are on the brink of a precipice which, as I told him with some glee at Manchester Airport, could turn them into the next Leeds United.

However, do you know what surprised him most? Of course you don't. It was to discover that Newcastle United are the runaway leaders of the Coca Cola Championship with Chris Hughton as manager.

It might have drawn a snigger or possibly even a snort of indignation but is it really so ludicrous to suggest Steve Harper deserves an England call-up?

I don't think so. There has always been a feeling within St James' Park that Harper was always far better than just Shay Given's number two and his form this season proves it.

And just when you think things are finally going to plan at Newcastle United, when the football team's results and performances are all that matter, Andy Carroll gets arrested for an incident in the early hours of the morning at a notorious city centre nightclub.

For those who have followed United for any length of time it was probably quiet, too quiet. Newcastle are a football club like no other when it comes to attracting unwanted media attention and most of the time it has very little to do with football.

Not since the Newcastle dressing room was filled with Sir Bobby Robson's Brat Pack - Kieron Dyer, Jermaine Jenas, Craig Bellamy, Carl Cort, Titus Bramble et al - have we been delivered a nightclub incident to get our teeth into.

I was at the North East Football Writers' annual awards bash last weekend to see Danny Collins and Adam Johnson pick up their trophies as 2009 player and young player of the year as voted for by the members of her majesty's press.

Well done to them, of course, but it reminded me, as we watched a video compilation of the year's supposed highlights, that had more in common with a sickening video nasty, this year has been a truly torturous one.